Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning means planning and teaching lessons that allow all students to learn, engage with lessons, and express their learning to teachers in ways that are not obscured by their personal learning profile. Here is a quick breakdown of the 3 big principals of UDL:Representation: All students learn differently. Teachers need to present information in ways that suit the needs of all students. Multiple representations of information in a lesson plan gives all students access to the content of the lesson through a modality that is not interrupted by their personal learning profile. Forms of representation can include: slideshows, lecture, reading textbooks, use of digital text, and student inquiry activities. *The hidden benefit of all of this extra lesson planning is that information is repeated and reinforced multiple ways for all students. When students are able to think of a concept in more than one way (for example understanding how a bar graph relates to the statistics it represents) they are able to develop a more robust understanding of the content.

Engagement:Multiple options for how to engage with content is the second principal of UDL. Students with learning disabilities often face roadblocks to learning that are avoidable if students are given multiple choices for how to work through a lesson. For example some students may enjoy the challenge of filling out a crossword puzzle related to their science textbook, while others would be unable to succeed in that assignment because of difficulties with visual processing, spatial organization, or their ability to read a grade level textbook. While reading should be a major focus at all stages of K-12 education, it should not become a total gatekeeper that prevents students from accessing their curriculum. Opportunities to engage with curriculum in ways that capitalize on student strengths maximizes the potential for student learning. Some options that teachers can provide for engagement include: playing educational games, reading an online module, or working collaboratively in a small group.

Expression: The final principal of UDL is giving students multiple options for expressing their learning, without lowering the standards set for any students. To achieve this teachers must create rubrics that are flexible enough to be applied to multiple types of projects. Flexible rubrics with clear, measurable objectives give students the freedom to express their learning in a fashion that suits their neurodevelopmental profile. Potential forms of expression for students include written presentations, oral reports, creating of a blog, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, or a mindmap. The idea is that the content takes precedence over the form of communication, so that students can express what they know without being held back by the medium of the assessment.